A robbery skit, “monkeys” dancing, and Tahitian dancing were just a few of the many eclectic dances showcased at the 2013 Diamond Bar High School Spring Dance Concert. Dancers in the production were all from the dance department, which includes Beginning and Intermediate dance classes, Advanced Performance Ensemble, All-Male Dance Crew, and Taurian Co. Dance Team. The wide variety of dance styles included hip-hop, jazz, and lyrical.
The show commenced with “The Heist,” choreographed by Derrick Sy, which also doubled as a skit in which the dancers comically acted out a failed theft. The concert’s theme, “Stealing the Show,” was inspired by this dance piece.
“Of course, I also have some incredibly talented students that are always ‘stealing the show’ so I felt [the theme] was appropriate,” dance director Janna Lindenberg admitted.
Soloists included seniors Franklin Yu, Grace Sim, Derrick Sy, and Kylie Montoya, who danced to “Fine By Me” by Andy Grammar, “Stay” by Jade Novah, “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys, and “Never Let Me Go” by Florence + The Machine, respectively.
“It was my first solo ever so it was nerve-wracking. It was fun dancing on stage though,” Sim said.
Yu, who is also senior captain of All-Male, danced and choreographed his second solo routine. “I’m really happy with the way I ended my three years of dance,” Yu stated.
Choreographed by sophomores Austin Kim and Peter Kang, “Dumped” also provided an entertaining hip-hop performance in addition to “The Heist.” Kang, Kim and sophomores John Kim and Kelvin Pang initially portrayed heartbreak until junior Tiffany Ding prances onstage. Pang pretends to be enamored by her presence, much to the demise of his close friends.
“Any Other World” was choreographed by Ricky Alvarez and performed by the Taurian Co. Dance Team to the song of the same name by Mika. The dance titled “Ori Ori” deviated quite a bit from the earlier dances as the piece incorporated traditional Tahitian dancing. Before intermission, several members of AMDC and Dance Team danced to “Mannequin,” by Katy Perry. The routine, which was choreographed by Clay Boonthanakit, earned the merit as a 2013 National Champion dancing piece.
The second part of the show consisted of dances to songs such as “Violet Hill” by Coldplay and “Countdown” by Beyonce. The former was choreographed by senior and Dance Team captain Erin Mendez and the latter was choreographed by seniors Lina Park, Grace Sim, and Taylor Yada. “Man in the Mirror,” choreographed by Sy and Yada, was performed to the famous Michael Jackson song. Senior Kylie Montoya’s emotional performance of “Never Let Me Go” was the last solo dance of the night.
“We had about a month to prepare [most of] the dances. This isn’t much time to get a dance [concert] ready because there is the long and stressful process of choreographing and teaching the choreography,” sophomore Austin Kim explained.
After a tribute to the Class of 2013 dancers, All-Male concluded the show with their 2013 National Champion dance piece, “Motown.” The routine, choreographed by Jeffrey Calimbas and the dancers, included a medley of old music such as “My Girl” by The Temptations.
“Every single student involved from the beginning dance classes to the dance team seniors really invested a lot of effort to make this an impressive show and I couldn’t have asked for more!” Lindenberg stated.
